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Summary
Naomi Pilula, a Zambian lawyer, was trolled, mocked, and called ugly due to a selfie she took in June 2025. Rather than react harshly to these mean comments, she proclaimed love for herself, redefining beauty culture as acceptance of one's appearance.
The first time Naomi Pilula had her most viral post on Instagram wasn’t because of her unique arguments in court or winning a landmark case. It was because of her appearance, particularly her nose, a feature of her identity.
The Zambian lawyer posted a regular selfie on June 22, 2025, expecting little more than polite comments. But praise was replaced with criticism, strangers backlashed at her, and commented negatively about her appearance. She was told to delete the post, trolled, and called ugly. The post received 500,000 shares. She also noticed the post with the worst backlash made her gain more followers, and her selfie post in June was not an exception. She gained 20,000 followers in August from the initial 1,000 followers she had in April.
Naomi’s experience didn’t happen in isolation; it’s a reflection of the generations of women who have been defined by beauty standards. In Naomi’s home country, beauty is defined by a cavernous body. Hence, possessing a smaller body has resulted in unsolicited advice; she was told to “eat more, to fill out.” In those moments, Naomi was exposed to a world where women are measured by beauty standards.
As a child and teenager, she was mocked for her appearance and nose, but she came to love herself in her 20s. She developed her personal style, works five times a week, and creates a great life for herself until her viral selfie post in June. The trolling was so overwhelming that she considered deleting her post; however, speaking with her sister made her resolute. Instead of responding with bitterness, she reminded the world that beauty is not about fitting into narrow standards but confidence, authenticity, and the strength we carry.
Changing the definition of beauty culture
Although Naomi’s experience started in Zambia, women across the globe face constant criticism about how they look. Beauty standards pressure women to conform to narrow ideals of beauty and criticise them for non-conformity. Black women are criticised for wearing their natural hair, and cosmetic surgery thrives in South Korea to create the perfect face. The problem lies not with women but with the definition of beauty that benefits from keeping women in shackles.
Naomi’s defiance of being defined by her appearance isn’t just a personal choice. It is a revolution to reclaim her power and define beauty on her own terms. It’s not only about rejecting beauty altogether, it’s about expanding its definition.
She reframes beauty, recognising value in oneself, diversity, bodies, and identity. Her message carries a simple truth: beauty should not be defined by appearance or society standards. But embracing yourself is the highest standard of beauty.
“I am not [an] aesthetically beautiful person. I’m not, and that’s okay,” she says. “But I love myself, and I can be myself. And with that is a certain level of beauty because there is a light that everyone has and that deserves to shine.” Naomi said.
Globally, people have responded to her public proclamations of loving herself in a positive way. Many see her way of defining beauty as authentic beauty.
